Obstacles to Gonzaga's unbeaten season
Posted: Thursday, December 11, 2008 7:41 PM
Filed Under:
Mid-majors, Unbeaten teams
Gonzaga’s dismantling (well, second-half dismantling) of Washington State on Wednesday has the Pacific Northwest buzzing.
Jeremy Pargo was brilliant, Josh Heytvelt has never played better and the Zags’ supporting cast is full of long, athletic players. The Zags don’t lack confidence, either. How good are they? “As good as everyone says we are,” Heytvelt told the Seattle Times.
Hey, the guy’s got a point.
The Zags are ranked No. 4 in both polls and have already beaten Tennessee, Maryland and Oklahoma State. With Arizona looming Sunday and UConn on Dec. 20, Gonzaga’s non-conference schedule has plenty of marquee opponents that builds an impressive résumé for March. The Bulldogs have long been one of college hoops’ standout teams, but they’re trying to reach another level this season. Looks like they’ll get there, too.
The quick sum-up: Gonzaga is loaded with talent, plays defense (once a rarity in Spokane) and can score like usual. That makes ‘em prime Final Four material, along with North Carolina, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Duke and Oklahoma (or so). So there’s that. We’ll see if it happens.
Until then, here’s a better question: Who’s going to beat Gonzaga?
We’ve already had speculation about North Carolina going undefeated this season (mostly because the Heels are so good, it’s insane). Yes, once ACC play is loaded with potential pitfalls. But the Heels are really good.
Gonzaga isn’t as good, but its road to an unbeaten season is just as probable. If they get by the Wildcats and Huskies, only five games remain that could derail a perfect regular season – if that.
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Dec. 31 at Utah
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Jan. 7 at Tennessee
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Jan. 29 vs. St. Mary’s
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Feb. 7 vs. Memphis
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Feb 12 at St. Mary’s
At Utah and the home game against St. Mary’s, the WCC’s second-best team, should actually be locks, but they could be close to start. The other three are more interesting. I’d guess Gonzaga will be favored against Memphis and in trip to St. Mary’s, but consider those toss-ups.
The Jan. 7 game against the Vols figures to be the biggest obstacle to a perfect season. The Zags already handled Tennessee once this season (83-74 at the Old Spice Classic in November), but heading to Knoxville is an entirely different animal. The Vols ended Memphis’ run at a perfect season last year, and while they’re not as impressive this season, expect Bruce Pearl’s squad to be ready for the Bulldogs.
And for the rest of us to see a run at history.
